All three GTA 5 endings explained

Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA V) is arguably one of the best games ever. Released back in 2013 and developed by Rockstar Games, GTA V is the highest-selling game after Minecraft, with more than 155 million units sold. Rockstar made sure that the fans didn’t get bored of the game a few years after its release; therefore, they introduced GTA Online and updated it with new free DLC updates to make the storyline more interesting.

However, GTA V is not only popular for its online mode but for its single-player story mode too. The Rockstar-developed game is still one of the best storylines that revolve around three different characters, Michael, Trevor, and Franklin, who have unique identities and personalities. During the course of the storyline, all three of them start working together and finally hit the vault of the Union Depositary so that they never have to work ever again.

Well, if this isn’t an exciting story, then what is? They meet new characters and keep building a strong bond with each other throughout the story. After they hit the vault successfully, Devin Weston and Steve Haines, the two antagonists of the story, threaten Franklin to kill either Michael or Trevor, and if he fails to do so, Devin and Steve Haines will kill Franklin. Now Franklin needs to decide what he wants to do i.e.

a) Kill Trevor 

b) Kill Micheal

c) The Third Way

Choosing one of the options will lead to a different story ending, and if you haven’t played GTA V yet, this article may help you a little to choose among the three.

Something Sensible (Killing Trevor)

Choosing the first option will take you into a cut-scene where you will see that Franklin asked Trevor to meet near the oil fields. As the story progresses, players will find out that Micheal and Trevor were friends before, and Micheal squealed the cops to save himself, and Trevor lost trust in him. Trevor thinks that Franklin is a good guy and wants to make peace between him and Micheal, but Trevor doesn’t want to do the same. What Trevor doesn’t know is Franklin called to kill him instead.

And a chase starts between both of them; during the hunt, Franklin calls Michael to get help to kill Trevor, and a cut scene will start where Michael joins the chase and forces Trevor’s car towards one of the oil tankers in the oil fields. Trevor falls from his pickup truck and has gasoline all over his body and his last talk with Franklin and Michael. The cut scene ends after that, and you have to kill Trevor. After Trevor dies, Michael says one of the coldest lines in the game ’You always liked gasoline, Trevor!’

And the cutscene goes on where Michael rants about how he felt about Trevor, although it is pretty visible that he is heartbroken after killing his best friend. He advises Franklin to never be like him but do whatever it takes to survive, and the game credit scene starts.

If you are an emotional person, you might even cry after this. Therefore we don’t recommend this option for sure.

The Time's Come (Kill Micheal)

Choosing the second option, The Time’s Come, is the ending where Franklin setups a meeting with Michael and calls Trevor for assistance, but Trevor declines to help as he is ’done with traitors.’ Later on, in the cut scene, it is shown that Franklin and Michael meet at a location and as they start discussing the situation, Amanda (Michael's wife) calls him. She tells him that their daughter Tracy will be attending college, which makes Michael happy. 

He then asks his wife to cut the call; he is busy doing some business. Then proceeds to talk to Franklin about his life has changed, and they both made it better, to which Franklin responds to how much he loves Michael and respects him and even risked everything for him, which make Michael realise that Franklin called to kill him.

The cut scene ends, Michael drive off, and Franklin now chases him down, and the chase reaches the Palmer-Taylor Power Station. During the chase, Michael tells Franklin how he thought of him as his son and who asked to kill him, was it Trevor? If he was then, they both should work together to take Trevor out.

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Finally, Franklin pushes Michael off the ledge of the tower and instantly regrets it and holds Michael’s hand. Michael tells that he can never forgive what Franklin did to him, Franklin has a choice to either leave Michael’s hand or save him, but unfortunately, Michael dies anyways.

After Michael dies, Franklin calls Lamar and asks how he is and that they should hang out with him soon, and the game credit scene starts. This ending is also not so great, although Michael’s cut from the Union Depositary is given to his family.

If this option also makes you sad, the third option might be the one for you.

Deathwish (The Third Way)

The third option leads to Franklin calling Lester and asking for help. At first, they think that there is nothing they can do, but after brainstorming the ideas, they plan a trap in which FIB and Merryweather will fall into. Franklin and Lester call Michael and Trevor for their plan and finish the issues once for all. 

All three of them decide to fight the FIB strike team and Merryweather Mercenaries. Once they defeat them, Michael volunteers to kill Harold Joseph, Trevor decides to kill Steve Hains, and Franklin decides to kill Weng Cheng. 

After killing all, Trevor goes into Devin's mansion, kills all his bodyguards, makes him hostage, and takes him to the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness. Then, he calls Franklin and Michael on the way, and all three of them unite and push the car off the cliff into the sea where Trevor brought Devin. After they kill Devin, all three of them end their criminal career and start a new life but remain ‘flawed, awful, totally uncomfortable and poorly matched’ friends and Lester sends them their cuts from the Union Depositary heist.

The best option to choose from the given three would be The Deathwish mission, but if you are curious and want to experience all three endings, you can replay the last mission by choosing other options.

If you enjoyed this guide, make sure to check out the rest of our GTA coverage for the best tutorials, game news, and title updates. Find all that and more over at our dedicated GTA section.

Featured image courtesy of Rockstar Games.